Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy: Gennett Records and the Rise of America's Musical Grassroots [Paperback]

In a piano factory tucked away in Richmond, Indiana, Gennett Records produced thousands of records featuring obscure musicians from hotel orchestras and backwoods fiddlers to the future icons of jazz, blues, country music, and rock 'n' roll. From 1916 to 1934, the company debuted such future stars as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Hoagy Carmichael, while also capturing classic performances by Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Uncle Dave Macon, and Gene Autry. While Gennett Records was overshadowed by competitors such as Victor and Columbia, few record companies documented the birth of America's grassroots music as thoroughly as this small-town label. In this newly revised and expanded edition ofJelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy, Rick Kennedy shares anecdotes from musicians, employees, and family members to trace the colorful history of one of America's most innovative record companies.

Excerpt:Read the foreword and introduction fromJelly Roll, Bix, and HoagyVideos:Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy book trailerRick Kennedy interview onPBS's History Detectives(appears at 31:48 mark)Podcasts:Rick Kennedy interview onWFIU'sNight Lights(appears at 10:36 mark)

Musical grassroots in the Heartland

Rick Kennedy is a veteran communications manager with General Electric Company and a former journalist. A freelance music writer for more than 30 years, he is author (with Randy McNutt) ofLittle LabelsBig Sound: Small Record Companies and the Rise of American Music(IUP, 2001).

Kennedy eloquently and informatively connects all these pieces together to form a clealã-